Provisional-ballot bill advances to House

Tuesday

Feb 25, 2014 at 12:01 AMFeb 26, 2014 at 10:58 AM

The next partisan election fight is headed for the Ohio House this afternoon, with the focus on a provisional-ballot bill that Democrats argue will lead to more ballots being tossed out. Senate Bill 216, which passed committee yesterday in a party-line vote, would require voters to add date of birth and a current and former address to a provisional-ballot envelope, in addition to the current requirement of a printed name, form of identification and a signature.

Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch

The next partisan election fight is headed for the Ohio House this afternoon, with the focus on a provisional-ballot bill that Democrats argue will lead to more ballots being tossed out.

Senate Bill 216, which passed committee yesterday in a party-line vote, would require voters to add date of birth and a current and former address to a provisional-ballot envelope, in addition to the current requirement of a printed name, form of identification and a signature.

Supporters say the additional information, which also includes at least one new box to check on the envelope, will allow the envelopes to double as a new voter-registration form.

But critics, including Democrats and some voter-rights groups, say it will give more reasons to toss out provisional ballots for what amounts to simple mistakes and omissions, such as writing in the wrong year on a birthday.

“We are already throwing out way too many provisional ballots,” said Rep. Kathleen Clyde, D-Kent. “What good is it if they show up ... if we’re just going to throw their vote out, especially for a silly reason like a ZIP code is missing or they forgot to fill out a check box."

Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea, chairman of the House Policy and Legislative Oversight Committee, noted that of the 208,087 provisional ballots cast in the 2012 presidential election, 34,322 were rejected. Of those, 59 percent were not registered to vote in Ohio and 28 percent cast the ballot at the wrong polling location.

“Clearly that’s the overwhelming majority, compared to the small number for other things that could be corrected,” Dovilla said. “I think the provisional-ballot argument is a little bit of a tempest in a teapot compared to the actual implications to the state.”

Democrats unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill so that the additional envelope information would be requested but not required. That way, Clyde said, if a voter can still be identified the ballot would not be tossed for an “insignificant paperwork error.”

Rep. Jim Buchy, R-Greenville, said that with the right to vote comes responsibilities.

“What we’re asking for is information on provisional ballots that is not only not insignificant, but is something every voter should know before they vote,” he said.

The bill puts into state law a 2012 federal court decision that requires Ohio to count provisional ballots that are cast in the correct polling place but the wrong precinct, known as “ right church, wrong pew” ballots. Democrats have argued that should be expanded to count partial ballots even if they are cast in the wrong polling location.

Democrats and Republicans also clashed last week as the House passed, and Gov. John Kasich later signed, bills that would reduce in-person early voting by one week and allow only the secretary of state, with approval from the legislature, to mail unsolicited absentee ballots.